LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh police are in control of the ongoing farmers’ protests as the authorities are have been in constant dialogue with farmer leaders ensuring that the atmosphere of the state is not vitiated, says UP DGP Prashant Kumar.
The 1990 batch IPS officer who assumed the charge on January 31 with the retirement of IPS Vijay Kumar, exuded confidence that there would be no violence. “We are following ‘Samwad se Samadhan’ (solution through dialogue). We are in touch with the farmers’ leaders and the UP-Delhi borders are calm. They have been convinced that the protest has nothing to do with the state dispensation.”
Talking about the preparedness to deal with any communal flare-up owing to Gyanvapi dispute, he said that the police are in constant touch with the religious leaders of both the communities. “We have made clear to both the communities that they have the right to fight their cases in court but without vitiating the atmosphere,” he said.
On the ripple effect of Haldwani violence in Bareilly, he said that the authorities were aware of the situation and had worked on its anticipation. “Often the trouble is created by both the communities and we spare no one. In Bareilly, we were able to control the situation by restricting both the sides. We also moved with restraint and could manage the situation in time,” he said.
Talking about the crowd management in Ayodhya during Pran- Pratishtha ceremony, the UP DGP said that the police department had a robust plan in place but the temple trust fell short of fulfilling some of its promises. “The separate galleries for the darshan were not carved till the last moment. Even the VVIPs were sent for the darshan in hordes instead of sending them as per the sector-wise seating arrangement. Now the things are completely under control. The devotees are not made to wait for more than 15 minutes for the darshan,” he added.
While acknowledging challenge ahead of the Lok Sabha election followed by the Kumbh in 2025, the UP DGP felt that his force is the best in the country in handling the ‘yellow’ challenge. “We are in the habit of dealing with yellow challenge as the state witnesses the gatherings of lakhs even in small events,” he said. However, claiming to be war ready with all his manpower and resources, he said the election commission is constantly taking feed-back from the UP police.
‘Borders are calm’
The UP DGP said, “We are following ‘Samwad se Samadhan’ (solution through dialogue). We are in touch with the farmers’ leaders and the UP-Delhi borders are calm. They have been convinced that the protest has nothing to do with the state.”